Tracking your website traffic is extremely important - it can help you understand which of your marketing campaigns are working and let you know exactly how many people visited your website for exactly what link. While many people understand that you can easily use link tagging through Google Analytics to track email campaigns, online press releases, and online newsletters, fewer people know that you can also use link tagging in offline direct mail marketing, such as hardcopy newsletters, promotional letters, or brochures.

But how do you use link tagging to track offline marketing materials?

Buy a new URL from a website like GoDaddy. Make sure that the URL is short and simple, since all visitors will have to type the address directly into their browser after receiving your piece of mail.

Set up a 301 redirect to a link you have tagged in the Google URL builder. This way, all of your offline direct mail visitors will be redirected to your webpage immediately upon typing in the address.

Identify the source of your link clearly, such as "September paper newsletter." Be specific, and add dates if you are sending out multiple campaigns.

The last step? Check out all of the new information you are learning from your link tagging: exactly how many people visited your website after receiving your mail, which piece of mail they read before visiting, when they came, and how long they stuck around.

Do you want to learn more about link tagging and offline direct mail marketing? Speak to one of our web marketing experts to learn more.